Pacific Coliseum To Take Centre Stage In 2010 Olympics

It’s been known for a while now that the short track speed skating and figure skating events will share the Pacific Coliseum as their 2010 Olympic Game venue.

My initial thought on this was “how the heck are they going to make this work?” With the requirement of different ice conditions for both sports and the x factor of the unpredictability of the Vancouver weather in February, I’m sure all the pessimists are seeing is a potential for disaster.

Realistically, the “ice meisters” as they have been deemed by the Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC), are going to have to transform the Olympic sized ice sheet in the ol’ Coliseum about 30 times and often in less than a few hours.

VANOC has brought in some outside help to head the crew that will be responsible for making this happen smoothly and seamlessly. Kameron Kiland, from the Calgary Olympic speed skating oval, will be the head “meister”, and he seems to be up for the challenge.

Both sports were run out of the same venue in Salt Lake City and in the Torino Olympics, and in both cases Kiland was there to oversee the transitions. With the $20 Million dollar upgrades to the 40 year old Coliseum, Kiland is confident his “crew” can get the job done.

But what about the outside weather? If it is cold and dry, the way it has been the last couple of days in our beautiful city, then I don’t think that we will have many issues. But in the more likely scenario - cold and wet - the crew will have to pre-dry the inside, which involves cooling the air inside. Even further, the temperature required for both events varies by a good 3 degrees.

They have their work cut out for them.  I guess all we can ask is that they try their best….